Protests erupt in Pakistan following Imran Khan arrest

Protests were held on Tuesday in Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, the capital Islamabad, neighboring Rawalpindi, and Peshawar as well as dozens of other cities and towns.

People in Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi held demonstrations in front of the offices and residences of top Army officers as Khan's supporters believe Pakistan's powerful Army is behind his arrest.

The General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi were raided by angry protesters and they vandalized the property, according to various videos posted on social media.

Police fired tear gas at the protesters to disperse them. According to reports, a number of people have died and dozens more injured.

Khan was arrested during a court appearance in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party called on supporters to "shut down Pakistan" in response.

It was not immediately clear where Khan was taken.

The former prime minister was summoned by the court in relation to charges of unlawfully selling state gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries during his time in office.

Khan, 70, was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last year.
He has been pushing for early polls due no later than October by calling for protests, pulling out of parliament and dissolving the two provincial assemblies his party controls.

After his ouster in March last year, Khan accused an unnamed "foreign power" - in a clear reference to the United States - of funding a "conspiracy" to topple his democratically elected government.